Priming means for internal-combustion engines



T. F. BOURNE.

PRIMING MEANS FOR ENTEBNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9.1913.

Patented June 15, 1920.

a citizen of the THEODORE F, BOURKE, OF liPPEB MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

PBIMING MEANS FOR IHTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15,1920.

Application flied November 9, 1918. Serial No. 261,760.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Tnnononn F. Boomer, United States, and resident ofUpper Montclair, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Priming Means forInternal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

An object of my invention 18 to prov de means for supplying primingcharges to internal combustion engines from a supply) of ii uid fuel,such as liquid hydrocar on, which will be ready for use withoutrequiring the priming charges to be supplied manually. A further obyecttion is to utilize, for priming the engine, liquid fuel flowing bygravity from the same receptacle that supplies such fuel to thecarbureter of the engine.

In the accompanying drawings I haye illustrated a receptacle for liquidfuel in communication with the carburetor of the engine ,to supply thecarburetor With said fuel by gravity, and manually controlled meansproviding communication between said receptacle and the engine mngturemamfold or intake conduit for supplying the latter with said fuel bygrav1ty for prlmmg the engine. Means also provide communication betweensaid receptacle and the en gine cylinders, such as through a connectronwith said manifold, for producing a partial vacuum in said receptaclefor charging s'a1d receptacle with such fuel from a main supply tank.Liquid fuel for primingthe engine thus will automatically be maintainedin position to flow by gravity to said intake conduit or manifold whensaid manually controlled means is operated.

Mv invention also comprises novel details of improvement andcombinations of parts that will be more fully hereinafter set forth andthen pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a parthereof, where1n Figure l is a side elevation Illustrating an automobileequipped with my improve monts; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of partsshown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of part of Fig. 2; Fig.dis an enlarged sectional view through the receptacle for the liquidfuel for supplying the carbureter and the priming charges for theengine; and Fig. 5 is a sectional detail:

In the accompanying drawings the reference numeral 1 indicates aninternal comof the invenbustion engine, 2 indicates an intake conduit ormanifold for the engine, and 3 indicates a carburetor communicating"with said conduit, which parts may be arranged and connected in anywell known manner. At 4: isa main supply tank for liquid hydrocarbonfuel, such as gasolene, kerosene or the like, and at 5 is an auxiliaryreceptacle or tank in. communication with tank 4 to receive the fueltherefrom and in communication with the carburetor through a conduit orpiping 6. The receptacle 5 is on a level higher than the carburetor andtank 4: to deliver-liguid fuel to the carburetor by ravity. lhe conduitor piping 6 extends rom.the lower part of said receptacle below thenormal liquid level therein. The upper portion of the receptacle 5 isconnected with tank 4 by means of a conduit or piping 7. Liquid may becaused to flow from tank 4 into receptacle 5 by means of exhaust orpartial vacuum produced in said receptacle in any well known manner. Inthe example illustrated the upper portion of receptacle 5 above theliquid fuel therein, is

in communication with intake conduit or manifold 2 through a conduit orpiping 8, whereby the exhaust produced by the engine cylinders inconduits 2 and 8 will cause the exhaust or partial vacuum in receptacle5 for charging of the latter from tank 4.

The parts above described are well known constructions for maintaining asupply of liquid hydrocarbon for the carburetor of internal combustionengines.

In the example illustrated I utilize receptacle 5 as a means to supplyliquid hydro-- carbon for priming the engine, whereby so long as thereis a supply of liquid fuel for the carburetor in rcrcptucle 5 there willbe the same supply for priming the engine. From a point below the liquidlevel in rece'ptacle 5 I provide a conduit or piping 9 to affordcommunication from said F0001)- taclc to the engine cylinders, and asshown said conduit 9 is connected with the intake conduit or manifold.By preference conduit 9 is connected to the intake leg 2 ol the manifoldat a point above the carbureter for mixing the priming charge with themixture from the carburetor. 9 may, of course, be connected to any otherconduit or passage leading from the carbureter to the engine cylinders,according to well known practice, as where an external manifold is notinterposed between the en- 'lhe conduit gine and the carburetor butwhere the carbureter is connected directly to the intake passage in theengine. I provide a valve indicated at 10 to control the flow of liquidfuel from receptacle 5 through conduit 9 and bypreference said valvewill automatically close to shut oil the How of priming fuel. Saidvalvemay be of any suitable construction, yet I have shown the same inthe form of an ordinary apertured tapering plug valve journaled in acasing 11 having a threaded branch 12 for connection with hub 13 at thebottom of receptacle 5, said casing having a branch 14 which may beclosed by a plug or valve indicated at 15, whereby the receptacle may bedrained. A union 16 may connect the casing 11 with the conduit or pipe9. For automatically closing valve 10 it may be connected to a suitablespring lilthe opposite end of which spring is connected to the valvecasing, a stop 18 on said casing cooperating with a projection 19connected with the valve stem serving to retain the latter in closedposition. At 20 the valve stem is shown provided with a projection orarm whereby the valve may be operated. Said projection '20 may bemanually operated by any suitable means, such as by means of a wire orflexible.

connection 21 extending to an operating member, such as a lever 22,pivotally supported in any suitable manner upon a suitable part of theautomobile, boat or other apparatus to which the described appliancesare applied, such as to the dash-board 23 of the automobile, in aconvenient position for operation. By preference valve 10 is locatedadjacent to receptacle 5 so that the length of conduit or pipe 9 fromsuch valve to the conduit or manifold 2 will contain a limited supply ofliquid fuel to be drawn to the engine after valve 10 is closed, forcontinuing the priming charge until the supply of fuel has been suckedout of conduit 9, to enable th operator quickly to close valve 10 witholt oversupplying the priming charge, and yet permitting the enginepistons to continue to draw the priming charge for a limited period.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a so-callcd vacuum receptacle, forcontaining the supply of liquid fuel in connection with which myimprovements are applied, Said receptacle is similar to that disclosedin Letters Patent to vVebb Jay, No. 1,125,549, issued Jan. 19, 1915, andis illustrated for the purpose of disclosing means to automaticallymaintain such a supply of liquid hydrocarbon for the carbureter and forpriming, although my invention is not limited to the particularconstruction of such receptacle set forth. In Fig. 4 the conduit 8 iscontrolled by a valve 25 and air intake passage 26 is controlled by avalve 27, the passage 26 having communication through the enginecylinders passage 28 with the space 29 between the outer wall 5 and theinner vessel 30 of receptacle 5. Said valves are so connected to thelever 31 that they can open and close alternately, as described in theaforesaid patent. When valve 25 is open the valve 27 is closed, and theengine suction is permitted to effect the reduction of pressure withinvessel 30 to cause the flow of fuel from tank 4 through pipe 7 intovessel 30 to cause the rise of float 32. Said float is connected by alever 33 and link 34 to an arm 35 fulcrumed coaxially with lever 31,serving to support one end of tension spring 36 whose opposite end isconnected to the lever 31, whereby the spring tends to fold the members31 and 35 toward each other, either above or below their fulcrum, toresist the rise of the float, and whereby the float may rise suddenly toits upper limit of move ment to cause the unseating of air valve 27 andthe seating of valve 25, to cutoff the engine suction and restoreatmospheric pressure within vessel 30. lVhen the level ofthe fuel insaid vessel is sufiiciently lowered the float will descend to cause theoperation of lever 31 and arm 35 for opening valve 25 and closing valve27 to permit the engine suction to cause the charging of the receptacle,and so on in well known manner. The passage 37 controlled b valve 38permits the flow of the liquid uel from vessel 30 into the shell 5. Fromthe construction described it will be of the liquid fuel in receptacle 5is automatically maintained at such, a heightv as tosimultaneouslysupply by gravity said liquid fuel to the carburetor forthe production of mixture for" the engine and to theconduit or manifoldleading from the carburetor to for the priming charge.

When it is desired to start the engine it is merely necessary to openvalve 10 for a relatively short period and to rotate the engine crankshaft, either with a selfstarter or by hand operation, whereby theengine cylinders will not only be supplied with fuel for the mixture inthe usual way,

but with priming fuel from the same source to enrich said mixture forready starting of thejengine. The valve 10 may be closed when required,and ma be maintained open temporarily, as esired, to supply fueladditional to that supplied tc the carburetor while the engine is beingwarmed. I

My invention for priming internal combustion engines utilized inconnection with the usual supply of liquid'fuel for the car bureterprovides a simple and yet most convenient means for priming the engineWithout requiring the engine suction to elevate the liquid from a lowlevel tankfor priming, and without requiring the operator-to do any morethan operate valve 10 for understood that the level I i from saidreceptacle,

starting the priming charge. 1 thereby dispense with devices heretoforeproposed or priming engines, such as pumps, pruning cups requiringmanual charging with priming fuel, and other known auxiliary devicesadditional to the usual supply receptz-icle or tank for fuel for thecarburetor. My im provements also obviate drawing upon the fuel supplyin the carburetor for priming with the conseipient lowering of the liquilevel therein.

My invention is ticular details of construction set fort since'thc samemay be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is z-- 1. The combination of an internal combustionengine having an intake conduit, a carburetor communicating with saidc0nduit, a receptacle for liquid fuel communirating with said carburetorto supply it by gravity, means providing, valve hereinafter named,unobstructed communication between said receptacle and said intakeconduit below the normal liquid level in the receptacle to supplypriming charges by gravity for the engine from said receptacleindependent of the carbureter and a valve to control said first namedmeans.

2. The combination of an internal conibustion engine having an intakeconduit, a carburetor communicating with said conduit, a receptacle forliquid fuel communicating with said carbureter to supply it by gravityfor running the engine, means providing communication between said recetacle and said intake conduit to supply priming charges by gravity forthe engine means to control said first named means, a main fuelsupplytank, a conduit providing communica ion between said tank andsaidreceptacle, and means providing communication between saidreceptacle and the engine ey inders for causing partial vacuum in saidrece tacle for charging the letter from said tank.

3. The combination of an internal combustion engine having an intakeconduit, a carburetor communicating with said conduit, a receptacle forliquid fuel located on a level higher than the carbureter, means to feedliquid fuel from said receptacle to the carburetor by gravity forrunning the en gine, a conduit connected to said receptacle below thenormal liquid level therein and in 0 communication with the engi eintake conduit to feed the latter by gravity and means not limited tothe parexcept for the the supply to control the flow from saidreceptacle to the second named conduit for priming the enginb, the lastnamed conduit being arranged toprovide direct and uninterrupted flow ofsuch priming fuel to said intake conduit while said control-means is inan unobstructive Position.

4. The combination of an internal combustion engine having an intakeconduit, a carburetor communicating with said conduit, a receptacle forliquid fuel, three se arate means of communication between saidreceptacle and said intake of said means ccptacle .belo w therein, andthe other the normal level of liquid of said means communicating withthe receptacle above the said two means communieating with said conduitthrough the carburetor, and means to control the [low oi' primingcharges through the other of said two means.

5. The combination of an internal coinbustion engine having an intakeconduit, :1 carbureter communicatingwith's'aid conduit, a receptacle forliquid fuel communieating with said carbureter, a conduit pro vidingcommunication between said receptacle and conduit above the carburetorand below the normal liquid level in the receptacle, means to controlthe flow through said conduit, a conduit providing corn municationbetween said first mentioned conduit and said receptacle above theliquid level therein, a valve to control said con duit, said receptaclehaving an air inlet, a valve to control said air inlet, a float openatively connected with said valves to open and close them alternatelyaccording to the rise and fall of the float, a main fuel sup ply tank ata lower level than the receptacle, and a conduit providing communicationbetween said tank and receptacle.

6. The combination of an internal combustion engine having an intakeconduit, a carburetor communicating with said conduit, a receptacle forliquid fuel communicating with said carburetor to supply it by gravity,aconduit providin except for the valve hereinafter named, direct anduninterrupted flow of )rimin fuel from below the normal level oi liquiin said receptacle to said first named conduit separate from 9 said fuelto the carbureter t 0 engine, and a valve to conow through the secondnamed said level, one of for. runmn trol the conduit.

.Si ned at New York, count of our ork, this 7th day 0 THEODORE F.BOURNE.

and State November,

conduit, twocommunicatmg with the re-

